Apparatus and method for treating substrate

ABSTRACT

The inventive concept provides an apparatus and method for treating a substrate with a gas. The apparatus includes a chamber having a process space in which the substrate is treated, a substrate support unit that supports the substrate in the process space, a gas supply unit that supplies a hydrophobic gas onto the substrate supported on the substrate support unit, and a controller that controls the substrate support unit and the gas supply unit. The substrate support unit includes a support plate on which the substrate is placed and a pin assembly that raises the substrate off the support plate or lowers the substrate onto the support plate, and the controller controls a degree of hydrophobization of a surface of the substrate by adjusting the pin assembly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

A claim for priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 is made to Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2019-0137962 filed on Oct. 31, 2019, in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office, the entire contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments of the inventive concept described herein relate to anapparatus and method for treating a substrate, and more particularly,relate to an apparatus and method for treating a substrate with a gas.

Various processes, such as cleaning, deposition, photolithography,etching, ion implantation, and the like, are performed to manufacturesemiconductor devices. These processes are performed in chambers havingprocess spaces inside, respectively.

The photolithography process includes a coating process of forming acoating film on a substrate, and surface modification of the substratehas to be performed before the coating film is formed. The surfacemodification is a process of modifying the property of the substratesurface to a property that is the same as, or similar to, that of thecoating film. The surface modification includes a process of supplying aprocess gas to the surface of the substrate. For example, the coatingfilm may have a hydrophobic property, and the process gas may include ahydrophobic gas.

The hydrophobic gas hydrophobicizes the surface of the substrate, andthe degree of hydrophobization serves as an important factor affectingthe adhesion and thickness of the coating film. Accordingly, the degreeof hydrophobization may be differently applied depending on the propertyand type of the coating film, a process, and an environment.

However, the hydrophobic gas is a gas generated by gasifying ahydrophobic liquid, and it is difficult to adjust the flow rate of thehydrophobic gas. For example, the hydrophobic gas may be formed bysupplying a vaporized gas to the hydrophobic liquid. In a case where anadjustment member such as a valve is installed to adjust the flow rateof the hydrophobic gas, the supply of the vaporized gas may be affected.

Due to this, to differently apply the degree of hydrophobization,hydrophobization processes have to be performed in apparatuses havingdifferent environments.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the inventive concept provide an apparatus and method foradjusting the degree of hydrophobization of a substrate surface.

Furthermore, embodiments of the inventive concept provide an apparatusand method for differently applying the degree of hydrophobization of asubstrate surface in the same apparatus.

According to an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus for treating asubstrate includes a chamber having a process space in which thesubstrate is treated, a substrate support unit that supports thesubstrate in the process space, a gas supply unit that supplies ahydrophobic gas onto the substrate supported on the substrate supportunit, and a controller that controls the substrate support unit and thegas supply unit. The substrate support unit includes a support plate onwhich the substrate is placed and a pin assembly that raises thesubstrate off the support plate or lowers the substrate onto the supportplate, and the controller controls a degree of hydrophobization of asurface of the substrate by adjusting the pin assembly.

The controller may move a first substrate to a first height such that asurface of the first substrate has a first hydrophobic property and maymove a second substrate to a second height such that a surface of thesecond substrate has a second hydrophobic property. The firsthydrophobic property may have a higher degree of hydrophobization thanthe second hydrophobic property, and the first height may be closer tothe gas supply unit than the second height. The gas supply unit mayinclude a gas supply tube that supplies the hydrophobic gas into theprocess space and that is located over the support plate, a dispensingend of the gas supply tube may be located to overlap the support platewhen viewed from above, and the first height may be closer to thedispensing end than the second height. The controller may control thegas supply unit such that a flow rate of the hydrophobic gas dispensedfrom the gas supply tube is constant.

The first height may be a height at which the first substrate is spacedapart from the support plate, and the second height may be a height atwhich the second substrate is seated on the support plate.

The first height may be a height at which the first substrate is spacedapart from the support plate, and the second height may be a height atwhich the second substrate is spaced apart from the support plate.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a method for treating a substrateincludes a first treatment step of hydrophobicizing a surface of a firstsubstrate such that the surface of the first substrate has a firsthydrophobic property, by supplying a hydrophobic gas to the firstsubstrate and a second treatment step of hydrophobicizing a surface of asecond substrate such that the surface of the second substrate has asecond hydrophobic property, by supplying a hydrophobic gas to thesecond substrate. The first hydrophobic property and the secondhydrophobic property have different degrees of hydrophobization, and afirst distance between a dispensing end through which the hydrophobicgas is dispensed and the first substrate in the first treatment step isdifferent from a second distance between the dispensing end throughwhich the hydrophobic gas is dispensed and the second substrate in thesecond treatment step.

The first hydrophobic property may have a higher degree ofhydrophobization than the second hydrophobic property, and the firstdistance may be smaller than the second distance. The hydrophobic gasused in the first treatment step may be the same as the hydrophobic gasused in the second treatment step. The first treatment step and thesecond treatment step may be performed in the same chamber.

The dispensing end through which the hydrophobic gas is dispensed mayface a support plate that supports the first substrate and the secondsubstrate and may be located to overlap the support plate when viewedfrom above. The dispensing end may be located to face the center of thefirst substrate and the center of the second substrate.

The hydrophobic gas may be dispensed at the same flow rate in the firsttreatment step and the second treatment step.

The hydrophobic gas may include a hexamethyldisilane (HMDS) gas.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a method for treating a substrateincludes hydrophobicizing a surface of the substrate by supplying ahydrophobic gas to the substrate, in which a degree of hydrophobizationof the surface is adjusted by adjusting a position of the substrate.

The adjusting of the position of the substrate may include adjusting adistance between a dispensing position in which the hydrophobic gas isdispensed and the substrate.

The dispensing position may be located over the substrate. The degree ofhydrophobization may be adjusted by moving the substrate to a firstheight such that the surface has a first hydrophobic property, or bymoving the substrate to a second height such that the surface has asecond hydrophobic property. The first height may be higher than thesecond height. The first hydrophobic property may have a higher degreeof hydrophobization than the second hydrophobic property.

A flow rate at which the hydrophobic gas is dispensed may be constant.The hydrophobic gas may include a hexamethyldisilane (HMDS) gas.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The above and other objects and features will become apparent from thefollowing description with reference to the following figures, whereinlike reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the variousfigures unless otherwise specified, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a substrate treatingapparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating coating blocks and developingblocks of the substrate treating apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating the substrate treating apparatus ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating one example of a hand of a transfer robotof FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view illustrating one example of a heattreatment chamber of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the heat treatment chamber of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating a heating unit of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating a substrate support unit of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process of treating a substrateusing the apparatus of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a process of treating a first substratein the apparatus of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a process of treating a second substratein the apparatus of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 12 is a schematic view illustrating one example of liquid treatmentchambers of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the inventive concept will be described inmore detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The inventiveconcept may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, theseembodiments are provided so that the inventive concept will be thoroughand complete, and will fully convey the scope of the inventive conceptto those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the dimensions ofcomponents are exaggerated for clarity of illustration.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a substrate treatingapparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept. FIG. 2 isa sectional view illustrating coating blocks and developing blocks ofthe substrate treating apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a plan viewillustrating the substrate treating apparatus of FIG. 2. Referring toFIGS. 1 to 3, the substrate treating apparatus 1 includes an indexmodule 20, a treating module 30, and an interface module 40. Accordingto an embodiment, the index module 20, the treating module 30, and theinterface module 40 are sequentially disposed in a row. Hereinafter, adirection in which the index module 20, the treating module 30, and theinterface module 40 are arranged is referred to as a first direction 12,a direction perpendicular to the first direction 12 when viewed fromabove is referred to as a second direction 14, and a directionperpendicular to the first direction 12 and the second direction 14 isreferred to as a third direction 16.

The index module 20 transfers substrates W from carriers 10 having thesubstrates W received therein to the treating module 30 and places thecompletely treated substrates W in the carriers 10. The lengthwisedirection of the index module 20 is parallel to the second direction 14.The index module 20 has load ports 22 and an index frame 24. The loadports 22 are located on the opposite side to the treating module 30 withrespect to the index frame 24. The carriers 10, each of which has thesubstrates W received therein, are placed on the load ports 22. The loadports 22 may be disposed along the second direction 14.

Airtight carriers such as front open unified pods (FOUPs) may be used asthe carriers 10. The carriers 10 may be placed on the load ports 22 by atransfer unit (not illustrated) such as an overhead transfer, anoverhead conveyor, or an automatic guided vehicle, or by an operator.

An index robot 2200 is provided in the index frame 24. A guide rail2300, the lengthwise direction of which is parallel to the seconddirection 14, is provided in the index frame 24, and the index robot2200 is movable on the guide rail 2300. The index robot 2200 includeshands 2220 on which the substrates W are placed. The hands 2220 aremovable forward and backward, rotatable about an axis facing in thethird direction 16, and movable along the third direction 16.

The treating module 30 performs a coating process and a developingprocess on the substrates W. The treating module 30 has the coatingblocks 30 a and the developing blocks 30 b. The coating blocks 30 aperform the coating process on the substrates W, and the developingblocks 30 b perform the developing process on the substrates W. Thecoating blocks 30 a are stacked on each other. The developing blocks 30b are stacked on each other. According to this embodiment, two coatingblocks 30 a and two developing block 30 b are provided. The coatingblocks 30 a may be disposed under the developing blocks 30 b. Accordingto an embodiment, the two coating blocks 30 a may perform the sameprocess and may have the same structure. Furthermore, the two developingblocks 30 b may perform the same process and may have the samestructure.

Each of the coating blocks 30 a has heat treatment chambers 3200, atransfer chamber 3400, liquid treatment chambers 3600, and bufferchambers 3800. Each of the heat treatment chambers 3200 performs a heattreatment process on the substrate W. The heat treatment process mayinclude a cooling process and a heating process. Each of the liquidtreatment chambers 3600 forms a liquid film on the substrate W bydispensing a liquid onto the substrate W. The liquid film may be aphotoresist film or an anti-reflection film. The transfer chamber 3400transfers the substrate W between the heat treatment chamber 3200 andthe liquid treatment chamber 3600 in the coating block 30 a.

The transfer chamber 3400 is disposed such that the lengthwise directionthereof is parallel to the first direction 12. A transfer robot 3422 isprovided in the transfer chamber 3400. The transfer robot 3422 transfersthe substrate W between the heat treatment chamber 3200, the liquidtreatment chamber 3600, and the buffer chambers 3800. According to anembodiment, the transfer robot 3422 has a hand 3420 on which thesubstrate W is placed, and the hand 3420 is movable forward andbackward, rotatable about an axis facing in the third direction 16, andmovable along the third direction 16. A guide rail 3300, the lengthwisedirection of which is parallel to the first direction 12, is provided inthe transfer chamber 3400, and the transfer robot 3422 is movable on theguide rail 3300.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating one example of the hand of the transferrobot of FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 4, the hand 3420 has a base 3428 andsupport protrusions 3429. The base 3428 may have an annular ring shape,the circumference of which is partly curved. The base 3428 has an innerdiameter greater than the diameter of the substrate W. The supportprotrusions 3429 extend inward from the base 3428. The supportprotrusions 3429 support an edge region of the substrate W. According toan embodiment, four support protrusions 3429 may be provided at equalintervals.

The heat treatment chambers 3200 are arranged along the first direction12. The heat treatment chambers 3200 are located on one side of thetransfer chamber 3400. Among the heat treatment chambers 3200, a heattreatment chamber 3202 located closest to the index module 20 performsheat treatment on the substrate W before the substrate W is transferredto the liquid treatment chamber 3600, and the other heat treatmentchambers 3206 perform heat treatment on the substrate W treated with aliquid in the liquid treatment chamber 3600. In this embodiment, theheat treatment chamber located closest to the index module 20 is definedas the front heat treatment chamber 3202.

In this embodiment, the heat treatment chamber 3202 located at the frontend among the plurality of heat treatment chambers 3200 will bedescribed. The front heat treatment chamber 3202 may improve adhesion ofphotoresist to the substrate W by supplying a process gas while heatingthe substrate W. The process gas modifies the surface of the substrateW. The process gas changes the surface of the substrate W from ahydrophilic surface to a hydrophobic surface. According to anembodiment, the process gas may be a hexamethyldisilane gas. The processgas is not supplied to the heat treatment chamber 3200 located at therear end.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view illustrating one example of the heattreatment chamber of FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a front view of the heattreatment chamber of FIG. 5. Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the heattreatment chamber 3202 has a housing 3210, a cooling unit 3220, aheating unit 3230, and a transfer plate 3240.

The housing 3210 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.The housing 3210 has, in a sidewall thereof, an entrance/exit opening(not illustrated) through which the substrate W enters and exits thehousing 3210. The entrance/exit opening may be maintained in an openstate. Selectively, a door (not illustrated) may be provided to open andclose the entrance/exit opening. The cooling unit 3220, the heating unit3230, and the transfer plate 3240 are provided in the housing 3210. Thecooling unit 3220 and the heating unit 3230 are provided side by sidealong the second direction 14. According to an embodiment, the coolingunit 3220 may be located closer to the transfer chamber 3400 than theheating unit 3230.

The cooling unit 3220 has a cooling plate 3222. The cooling plate 3222may have a substantially circular shape when viewed from above. Acooling member 3224 is provided inside the cooling plate 3222. Accordingto an embodiment, the cooling member 3224 may be formed inside thecooling plate 3222 and may serve as a fluid channel through which acooling fluid flows.

The heating unit 3230 is implemented with an apparatus 1000 that heatsthe substrate W to a temperature higher than the room temperature. Theheating unit 3230 heats the substrate W in an atmospheric atmosphere orin an atmosphere of reduced pressure lower than the atmosphericpressure. FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating the heating unit ofFIG. 6. Referring to FIG. 7, the heating unit 3230 includes a chamber1100, a substrate support unit 1300, a heater unit 1400, a gas supplyunit 1500, and a controller 1900.

The chamber 1100 has a process space 1110 therein in which heattreatment is performed on the substrate W. The process space 1110 issealed from the outside. The chamber 1100 includes an upper body 1120, alower body 1140, and a sealing member 1160.

The upper body 1120 has a container shape that is open at the bottom.The upper body 1120 has a central hole 1124 and peripheral holes 1122formed in an upper wall thereof. The central hole 1124 is formed in thecenter of the upper body 1120. The central hole 1124 functions as aninlet hole 1124 through which a process gas is introduced into thechamber 1100. The peripheral holes 1122 are used to evacuate anatmosphere in the process space 1110. The peripheral holes 1122 arespaced apart from each other and are arranged to surround the centralhole 1124. According to an embodiment, four peripheral holes 1122 may beprovided.

The lower body 1140 has a container shape that is open at the top. Thelower body 1140 is located under the upper body 1120. The upper body1120 and the lower body 1140 are located to face each other in anup-down direction. The upper body 1120 and the lower body 1140 arecombined with each other to form the process space 1110 inside. Theupper body 1120 and the lower body 1140 are located such that thecentral axes thereof are aligned with each other in the up-downdirection. The lower body 1140 may have the same diameter as the upperbody 1120. That is, an upper end of the lower body 1140 may be locatedto face a lower end of the upper body 1120.

One of the upper body 1120 and the lower body 1140 is moved to an openposition or a closed position by a lifting member 1130, and the other isfixed in position. In this embodiment, it is exemplified that the lowerbody 1140 is fixed in position and the upper body 1120 is moved. Theopen position is a position in which the upper body 1120 and the lowerbody 1140 are spaced apart from each other and therefore the processspace 1110 is open. The closed position is a position in which theprocess space 1110 is sealed from the outside by the lower body 1140 andthe upper body 1120.

The sealing member 1160 is located between the upper body 1120 and thelower body 1140. The sealing member 1160 seals the process space 1110from the outside when the upper body 1120 and the lower body 1140 arebrought into contact with each other. The sealing member 1160 may havean annular ring shape. The sealing member 1160 may be fixedly coupled tothe upper end of the lower body 1140.

The substrate support unit 1300 supports the substrate W in the processspace 1110. FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating the substrate supportunit of FIG. 7. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the substrate support unit1300 is fixedly coupled to the lower body 1140. The substrate supportunit 1300 includes a support plate 1320, support pins 1360, a pinassembly 1340, and a guide 1380. The support plate 1320 transfers, tothe substrate W, heat generated from the heater unit 1400. The supportplate 1320 has a circular plate shape. An upper surface of the supportplate 1320 has a larger diameter than the substrate W. The support plate1320 has pin holes 1322 and the support pins 1360 on an upper surfacethereof. The pin holes 1322 are provided as spaces in which lift pins1342 of the pin assembly 1340 are located. The support pins 1360 preventthe substrate W from making direct contact with the upper surface of thesupport plate 1320. The support pins 1360 may have a pin shape, thelengthwise direction of which is directed in the up-down direction, ormay have a protrusion shape protruding upward. The support pins 1360 arefixed to a seating surface of the support plate 1320. Upper ends of thesupport pins 1360 are provided as contact surfaces making direct contactwith the backside of the substrate W, and the contact surfaces have ashape that is convex upward. Accordingly, contact areas between thesupport pins 1360 and the substrate W may be minimized. For example,three pin holes 1322 may be provided, and more support pins 1360 thanthe pin holes 1322 may be provided.

The pin assembly 1340 raises the substrate W off the support plate 1320,or lowers the substrate W onto the support plate 1320. Morespecifically, the pin assembly 1340 raises the substrate W off thesupport pins 1360, or lowers the substrate W onto the support pins 1360.The pin assembly 1340 includes the lift pins 1342 and an actuator (notillustrated). As many lift pins 1342 as the pin holes 1322 are provided.The lift pins 1342 are located in the pin holes 1322, respectively. Thelift pins 1342 have a pin shape that is directed in the verticaldirection. The lift pins 1342 may be moved to a raised position or alowered position in the pin holes 1322. Here, the raised position is aposition in which the lift pins 1342 protrude upward from the pin holes1322, and the lowered position is a position in which the lift pins 1342are inserted into the pin holes 1322. More specifically, the raisedposition is a position in which upper ends of the lift pins 1342 are ina higher position than an upper end of the support plate 1320, and thelowered position is a position in which the upper ends of the lift pins1342 are in a lower position than the upper end of the support plate1320. The lift pins 1342 are movable to two or more different heights inthe raised position. The actuator (not illustrated) moves the lift pins1342 to the raised position and the lowered position. For example, theactuator (not illustrated) may be a motor. Accordingly, the actuator(not illustrated) may adjust the heights of the lift pins 1342 in astate in which the lift pins 1342 are located in the raised position.

The guide 1380 guides the substrate W to locate the substrate W in acorrect position over the seating surface. The guide 1380 has an annularring shape that surrounds the seating surface. The guide 1380 has alarger diameter than the substrate W. An inside surface of the guide1380 has a shape downwardly inclined with an approach to the centralaxis of the support plate 1320. Accordingly, the substrate W supportedon the inside surface of the guide 1380 is moved to the correct positionalong the inclined surface. Furthermore, the guide 1380 may slightlyprevent a gas flow introduced between the substrate W and the seatingsurface.

The heater unit 1400 heats the substrate W placed on the support plate1320. The heater unit 1400 is located under the substrate W placed onthe support plate 1320. The heater unit 1400 includes a plurality ofheaters 1420. The heaters 1420 are located inside the support plate1320. Selectively, the heaters 1420 may be located on the bottom of thesupport plate 1320. The heaters 1420 are located on the same plane.According to an embodiment, the heaters 420 may heat different regionsof the seating surface to different temperatures. Some of the heaters1420 may heat a central region of the seating surface to a firsttemperature, and the other heaters 1420 may heat an edge region of theseating surface to a second temperature. The second temperature may behigher than the first temperature. The heaters 1420 may be printedpatterns or heating wires.

Referring again to FIG. 7, the gas supply unit 1500 includes a flowforming plate 1540 and a supply tube 1520. The flow forming plate 1540has a circular plate shape with an opening. The flow forming plate 1540is provided at a height corresponding to the upper body 1120. The supplytube 1520 functions as a dispensing member that dispenses the processgas onto the substrate W. The supply tube 1520 is inserted into thecentral hole 1124. The supply tube 1520 is provided such that a lowerend thereof is located in the process space 1110 and an upper endthereof is located outside the process space 1110. The supply tube 1520is fixedly coupled to the opening of the flow forming plate 1540. Forexample, the flow forming plate 1540 and the supply tube 1520 may beintegrated with each other. The position of a dispensing end 1522 thatis the lower end of the supply tube 1520 may be fixed. The bottom of theflow forming plate 1540 and the lower end of the supply tube 1520 may beprovided at the same height. The flow forming plate 1540 divides theprocess space 1110 into an upper space 1110 a and a lower space 1110 b.The lower space 1110 b may function as a space into which the processgas is introduced to treat the substrate W, and the upper space 1110 amay function as an exhaust space through which the process gas isreleased. The flow forming plate 1540 has an outer diameter that is thesame as the inner diameter of the upper body 1120. The flow formingplate 1540 has a plurality of exhaust holes 1524 formed in an edgeregion thereof. The exhaust holes 1542 are circumferentially arranged tosurround the opening of the flow forming plate 1540. For example, whenviewed from above, the exhaust holes 1542 may have a circular shape.Selectively, the exhaust holes 1542 may have an arc shape that surroundsan empty space. According to this embodiment, the exhaust holes 1542 areprovided so as not to face the substrate W placed on the substratesupport unit 1300. That is, when viewed from above, the exhaust holes1542 may be circumferentially arranged to surround the periphery of thesubstrate W placed on the substrate support unit 1300. Processby-products passing through the exhaust holes 1542 are released to theoutside through exhaust lines 1560 connected to the peripheral holes1122. A pressure-reducing member 1580 is connected to the exhaust lines1560, and the process by-products are released by exhaust pressure ofthe pressure-reducing member 1580. Accordingly, interference with thesupply of the process gas to the edge region of the substrate W may beminimized. For example, the process gas may be hexamethyldisilane (HMDS)for surface modification of the substrate W. The process gas may have aproperty that is the same as, or similar to, that of a photosensitiveliquid. The photosensitive liquid may have a hydrophobic property, andthe process gas may be a hydrophobic gas having a hydrophobic property.

The controller 1900 controls the pin assembly 1340. The controller 1900controls the degree of hydrophobization of the substrate surface byadjusting the height of the substrate W. The controller 1900 adjusts theheight of the substrate W depending on the degree to which the surfaceof the substrate W is desired to be hydrophobicized. Adjusting theheight of the substrate W includes adjusting the distance between thesubstrate W and the dispensing end 1522 of the supply tube 1520. Thatis, to adjust the degree of hydrophobization of the substrate surface,the controller 1900 may adjust the distance between the substrate W andthe dispensing end 1522. According to an embodiment, in a case ofraising the degree of hydrophobization of the substrate surface, thedistance between the substrate W and the dispensing end 1522 may bedecreased, and in a case of lowering the degree of hydrophobization ofthe substrate surface, the distance between the substrate W and thedispensing end 1522 may be increased. That is, in the case of raisingthe degree of hydrophobization, the substrate W may be raised, and inthe case of lowering the degree of hydrophobization, the substrate W maybe lowered. In the case of raising the degree of hydrophobization, thelift pins 1342 may be moved to the raised position, and in the case oflowering the degree of hydrophobization, the lift pins 1342 may be movedto the lowered position.

Hereinafter, a process of treating the substrate W using theabove-described apparatus will be described. Referring to FIG. 9, thelift pins 1342 are moved to the raised position and receive thesubstrate W from the transfer robot 3422. The lift pins 1342 are movedto the lowered position such that the substrate W is placed on thesupport pins 1360. Thereafter, the upper body 1120 is moved from theopen position to the closed position and seals the process space 1110from the outside. For example, even though the substrate W is treated ina position spaced apart from the support plate 1320, the substrate W islowered onto the support pins 1360 and raised again after the chamber1100 is sealed from the outside. The aim is to prevent misalignment ofthe substrate W in consideration of the stability of the substrate W,when the chamber 110 is moved in a state in which the substrate W isplaced on the lift pins 1342. When the process space 1110 is sealed fromthe outside, a hydrophobic gas is supplied from the dispensing end 1522of the supply tube 1520. The hydrophobic gas is supplied to thesubstrate W and hydrophobicizes the surface of the substrate W. In theprocess of hydrophobicizing the surface of the substrate W, the positionof the substrate W is adjusted for adjustment of the degree ofhydrophobization of the substrate surface.

In this embodiment, the controller 1900 may adjust the degree ofhydrophobization by adjusting the distance between the substrate W andthe dispensing end 1522 by adjusting the height of the substrate W. Toperform surface modification of the substrate W such that the surface ofthe substrate W has a first hydrophobic property or a second hydrophobicproperty smaller than the first hydrophobic property, the height of thesubstrate W may be differently adjusted. To perform surface modificationof the substrate W such that the surface of the substrate W has thefirst hydrophobic property, the substrate W is raised off the supportpins 1360 and moved upward to the first height. The first height may bea height at which the substrate W is spaced apart from the support pins1360. Alternatively, to perform surface modification of the substrate Wsuch that the surface of the substrate W has the second hydrophobicproperty, the substrate W is lowered to the second height lower than thefirst height. The second height may be a height at which the substrate Wis spaced apart from the support pins 1360, or may be a height at whichthe substrate W is placed on the support pins 1360. In this embodiment,the second height is described as a height at which the substrate W isplaced on the support pins 1360. At the first height, the distancebetween the dispensing end 1522 and the substrate W is smaller than thatat the second height. Accordingly, the surface of the substrate Wlocated at the first height may have a hydrophobic property greater thanthat of the surface of the substrate W located at the second height.

A method for treating a first substrate W₁ and a second substrate W₂such that the first substrate W₁ and the second substrate W₂ havedifferent degrees of hydrophobization will be described. In thisembodiment, the first substrate W₁ is treated such that a surface of thefirst substrate W₁ has a first hydrophobic property, and the secondsubstrate W₂ is treated such that a surface of the second substrate W₂has a second hydrophobic property. In the same chamber 1100, ahydrophobization process is performed on the first substrate W₁ and thesecond substrate W₂.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the process space 1110 is sealed from theoutside, the first substrate W₁ is moved to the first height by the liftpins 1342, and the second substrate W₂ is located at the second heightat which the second substrate W₂ is placed on the support pins 1360. Ahydrophobic gas is supplied at the same flow rate in a first treatmentstep of hydrophobicizing the first substrate W₁ and a second treatmentstep of hydrophobicizing the second substrate W₂. Furthermore, the sametype of hydrophobic gas is supplied in the first treatment step and thesecond treatment step. Accordingly, the first substrate W₁ and thesecond substrate W₂ may have different degrees of hydrophobization eventhough the first treatment step and the second treatment step areperformed in the same environment such as the same flow rate, the sametype of hydrophobic gas, and the like.

Referring again to FIGS. 5 and 6, the transfer plate 3240 has asubstantially circular plate shape and has a diameter corresponding tothe diameter of the substrate W. The transfer plate 3240 has notches3244 formed at the edge thereof. The notches 3244 may have a shapecorresponding to the protrusions 3429 formed on the hand 3420 of thetransfer robot 3422 described above. Furthermore, as many notches 3244as the protrusions 3429 formed on the hand 3420 are formed in positionscorresponding to the protrusions 3429. The substrate W is transferredbetween the hand 3420 and the transfer plate 3240 when the verticalpositions of the hand 3420 and the transfer plate 3240 aligned with eachother in the up-down direction are changed. The transfer plate 3240 maybe mounted on a guide rail 3249 and may be moved between a first region3212 and a second region 3214 along the guide rail 3249 by an actuator3246. A plurality of guide grooves 3242 in a slit shape are formed inthe transfer plate 3240. The guide grooves 3242 extend inward from theedge of the transfer plate 3240. The lengthwise direction of the guidegrooves 3242 is parallel to the second direction 14, and the guidegrooves 3242 are located to be spaced apart from each other along thefirst direction 12. The guide grooves 3242 prevent the transfer plate3240 and the lift pins 1340 from interfering with each other when thesubstrate W is transferred between the transfer plate 3240 and theheating unit 3230.

The substrate W is heated while the substrate W is directly placed onthe support plate 1320. The substrate W is cooled while the transferplate 3240 on which the substrate W is placed is brought into contactwith the cooling plate 3222. For efficient heat transfer between thecooling plate 3222 and the substrate W, the transfer plate 3240 isformed of a material having a high heat transfer rate. According to anembodiment, the transfer plate 3240 may be formed of a metallicmaterial.

The plurality of liquid treatment chambers 3600 are provided. Some ofthe liquid treatment chambers 3600 may be stacked on each other. Theliquid treatment chambers 3600 are disposed on an opposite side of thetransfer chamber 3400. The liquid treatment chambers 3600 are arrangedside by side along the first direction 12. Some of the liquid treatmentchambers 3600 are located adjacent to the index module 20. Hereinafter,these liquid treatment chambers are referred to as the front liquidtreatment chambers 3602. Other liquid treatment chambers 3600 arelocated adjacent to the interface module 40. Hereinafter, these liquidtreatment chambers are referred to as the rear liquid treatment chambers3604.

Each of the front liquid treatment chambers 3602 applies a first liquidto the substrate W, and each of the rear liquid treatment chambers 3604applies a second liquid to the substrate W. The first liquid and thesecond liquid may be different types of liquids. According to anembodiment, the first liquid is an anti-reflection film, and the secondliquid is photoresist. The photoresist may be applied to the substrate Wcoated with the anti-reflection film. Selectively, the first liquid maybe photoresist, and the second liquid may be an anti-reflection film. Inthis case, the anti-reflection film may be applied to the substrate Wcoated with the photoresist. Selectively, the first liquid and thesecond liquid may be of the same type. Both the first liquid and thesecond liquid may be photoresist.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view illustrating one example of the liquidtreatment chambers of FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 12, the liquid treatmentchamber 3600 has a housing 3610, a treatment vessel 3620, a substratesupport unit 3640, and a liquid dispensing unit 3660. The housing 3610has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The housing 3610has, in a sidewall thereof, an entrance/exit opening (not illustrated)through which the substrate W enters and exits the housing 3610. Theentrance/exit opening may be opened and closed by a door (notillustrated). The treatment vessel 3620, the substrate support unit3640, and the liquid dispensing unit 3660 are provided in the housing3610. A fan filter unit 3670 for forming a downward air flow in thehousing 3260 may be provided in an upper wall of the housing 3610. Thetreatment vessel 3620 has a cup shape that is open at the top. Thetreatment vessel 3620 has a process space therein in which the substrateW is treated. The substrate support unit 3640 is disposed in the processspace and supports the substrate W. The substrate support unit 3640 isprovided such that the substrate W is rotatable during liquid treatment.The liquid dispensing unit 3660 dispenses a liquid onto the substrate Wsupported on the substrate support unit 3640.

The liquid dispensing unit 3660 includes a treatment liquid nozzle 3662.The treatment liquid nozzle 3662 dispenses a treatment liquid onto thesubstrate W supported on the substrate support unit 3640. For example,the treatment liquid may be a photosensitive liquid such as photoresist.The treatment liquid nozzle 3662 is moved between a process position anda standby position. Here, the process position is a position in whichthe treatment liquid nozzle 3662 is located above the substrate Wsupported on the substrate support unit 3640 and faces the substrate W,and the standby position is a position in which the treatment liquidnozzle 3662 deviates from the process position. The process position maybe a position in which the treatment liquid nozzle 3362 is able todispense the treatment liquid onto the center of the substrate W.

Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 3, the plurality of buffer chambers 3800are provided. Some of the buffer chambers 3800 are disposed between theindex module 20 and the transfer chamber 3400. Hereinafter, these bufferchambers are referred to as the front buffers 3802. The front buffers3802 are stacked on each other along the up-down direction. The otherbuffer chambers 3800 are disposed between the transfer chamber 3400 andthe interface module 40. These buffer chambers are referred to as therear buffers 3804. The rear buffers 3804 are stacked on each other alongthe up-down direction. Each of the front buffers 3802 and the rearbuffers 3804 temporarily stores a plurality of substrates W. Thesubstrates W stored in the front buffers 3802 are loaded or unloaded bythe index robot 2200 and the transfer robot 3422. The substrates Wstored in the rear buffers 3804 are loaded or unloaded by the transferrobot 3422 and a first robot 4602.

A front transfer robot is located on one side of the front buffers 3802.The front transfer robot transfers the substrates W between the frontbuffers 3802 and the front heat treatment chamber 3202.

Each of the developing blocks 30 b has heat treatment chambers 3200, atransfer chamber 3400, and liquid treatment chambers 3600. The heattreatment chambers 3200, the transfer chamber 3400, and the liquidtreatment chambers 3600 of the developing block 30 b are provided in astructure and an arrangement substantially similar to the structure andthe arrangement in which the heat treatment chambers 3200, the transferchamber 3400, and the liquid treatment chambers 3600 of the coatingblock 30 a are provided, and therefore detailed descriptions thereaboutwill be omitted.

In the developing block 30 b, the liquid treatment chambers 3600 areimplemented with developing chambers 3600, each of which performs adeveloping process on the substrate W by dispensing a developingsolution onto the substrate W.

The interface module 40 connects the treating module 30 with an externalexposing apparatus 50. The interface module 40 has an interface frame4100, an additional process chamber 4200, an interface buffer 4400, anda transfer member 4600.

The interface frame 4100 may have, at the top thereof, a fan filter unitthat forms a downward air flow in the interface frame 4100. Theadditional process chamber 4200, the interface buffer 4400, and thetransfer member 4600 are disposed in the interface frame 4100. Beforethe substrate W completely treated in the coating block 30 a istransferred to the exposing apparatus 50, the additional process chamber4200 may perform a predetermined additional process on the substrate W.Selectively, before the substrate W completely treated in the exposingapparatus 50 is transferred to the developing block 30 b, the additionalprocess chamber 4200 may perform a predetermined additional process onthe substrate W. According to an embodiment, the additional process maybe an edge exposing process of exposing the edge region of the substrateW to light, a top-side cleaning process of cleaning the top side of thesubstrate W, or a backside cleaning process of cleaning the backside ofthe substrate W. A plurality of additional process chambers 4200 may beprovided. The additional process chambers 4200 may be stacked one aboveanother. The additional process chambers 4200 may all perform the sameprocess. Selectively, some of the additional process chambers 4200 mayperform different processes.

The interface buffer 4400 provides a space in which the substrate Wtransferred between the coating block 30 a, the additional processchambers 4200, the exposing apparatus 50, and the developing block 30 btemporarily stays. A plurality of interface buffers 4400 may beprovided. The interface buffers 4400 may be stacked one above another.

According to an embodiment, the additional process chambers 4200 may bedisposed on one side of an extension line facing in the lengthwisedirection of the transfer chamber 3400, and the interface buffers 4400may be disposed on an opposite side of the extension line.

The transfer member 4600 transfers the substrate W between the coatingblock 30 a, the additional process chambers 4200, the exposing apparatus50, and the developing block 30 b. The transfer member 4600 may beimplemented with one or more robots. According to an embodiment, thetransfer member 4600 has the first robot 4602 and a second robot 4606.The first robot 4602 may transfer the substrate W between the coatingblock 30 a, the additional process chambers 4200, and the interfacebuffers 4400. An interface robot 4606 may transfer the substrate Wbetween the interface buffers 4400 and the exposing apparatus 50. Thesecond robot 4606 may transfer the substrate W between the interfacebuffers 4400 and the developing block 30 b.

The first robot 4602 and the second robot 4606 each include a hand onwhich the substrate W is placed, and the hand is movable forward andbackward, rotatable about an axis parallel to the third direction 16,and movable along the third direction 16.

The hands of the index robot 2200, the first robot 4602, and the secondrobot 4606 may all have the same shape as the hand 3420 of the transferrobot 3422. Selectively, a hand of a robot that directly exchanges thesubstrate W with the transfer plate 3240 of each heat treatment chamber3200 may have the same shape as the hand 3420 of the transfer robot3422, and hands of the remaining robots may have a different shape fromthe hand 3420 of the transfer robot 3422.

According to an embodiment, the index robot 2200 may directly exchangethe substrate W with the heating unit 3230 of the front heat treatmentchamber 3200 provided in the coating block 30 a.

Furthermore, the transfer robots 3422 provided in the coating block 30 aand the developing block 30 b may directly exchange the substrate W withthe transfer plate 3240 located in the heat treatment chamber 3200.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of a method for treating a substrate usingthe above-described substrate treating apparatus 1 will be described.

Coating process S20, edge exposing process S40, exposing process S60,and developing process S80 are sequentially performed on the substrateW.

Coating process S20 is performed by sequentially performing heattreatment process S21 in the heat treatment chamber 3200,anti-reflection film coating process S22 in the front liquid treatmentchamber 3602, heat treatment process S23 in the heat treatment chamber3200, photoresist film coating process S24 in the rear liquid treatmentchamber 3604, and heat treatment process S25 in the heat treatmentchamber 3200.

Hereinafter, one example of a transfer path of the substrate W from thecarrier 10 to the exposing apparatus 50 will be described.

The index robot 2200 extracts the substrate W from the carrier 10 andtransfers the substrate W to the front buffer 3802. The transfer robot3422 transfers the substrate W stored in the front buffer 3802 to thefront heat treatment chamber 3200. The substrate W is transferred to theheating unit 3230 by the transfer plate 3240. When a heating process iscompletely performed on the substrate W in the heating unit 3230, thetransfer plate 3240 transfers the substrate W to the cooling unit 3220.In a state of supporting the substrate W, the transfer plate 3240 isbrought into contact with the cooling unit 3220 and performs a coolingprocess on the substrate W. When the cooling process is completed, thetransfer plate 3240 moves above the cooling unit 3220, and the transferrobot 3422 extracts the substrate W from the heat treatment chamber 3200and transfers the substrate W to the front liquid treatment chamber3602.

The front liquid treatment chamber 3602 coats the substrate W with ananti-reflection film.

The transfer robot 3422 extracts the substrate W from the front liquidtreatment chamber 3602 and places the substrate W in the heat treatmentchamber 3200. The heat treatment chamber 3200 sequentially performs theabove-described heating and cooling processes. When each heat treatmentprocess is completed, the transfer robot 3422 extracts the substrate Wfrom the heat treatment chamber 3200 and places the substrate W in therear liquid treatment chamber 3604.

Thereafter, the rear liquid treatment chamber 3604 coats the substrate Wwith a photoresist film.

The transfer robot 3422 extracts the substrate W from the rear liquidtreatment chamber 3604 and places the substrate W in the heat treatmentchamber 3200. The heat treatment chamber 3200 sequentially performs theabove-described heating and cooling processes. When each heat treatmentprocess is completed, the transfer robot 3422 transfers the substrate Wto the rear buffer 3804. The first robot 4602 of the interface module 40extracts the substrate W from the rear buffer 3804 and transfers thesubstrate W to the additional process chamber 4200.

The additional process chamber 4200 performs an edge exposing process onthe substrate W.

The first robot 4602 extracts the substrate W from the additionalprocess chamber 4200 and transfers the substrate W to the interfacebuffer 4400.

The second robot 4606 extracts the substrate W from the interface buffer4400 and transfers the substrate W to the exposing apparatus 50.

Developing process S80 is performed by sequentially performing heattreatment process S81 in the heat treatment chamber 3200, developingprocess S82 in the liquid treatment chamber 3600, and heat treatmentprocess S83 in the heat treatment chamber 3200.

Hereinafter, one example of a transfer path of the substrate W from theexposing apparatus 50 to the carrier 10 will be described.

The second robot 4606 extracts the substrate W from the exposingapparatus 50 and transfers the substrate W to the interface buffer 4400.

The first robot 4602 extracts the substrate W from the interface buffer4400 and transfers the substrate W to the rear buffer 3804. The transferrobot 3422 extracts the substrate W from the rear buffer 3804 andtransfers the substrate W to the heat treatment chamber 3200. The heattreatment chamber 3200 sequentially performs a heating process and acooling process on the substrate W. When the cooling process iscompleted, the substrate W is transferred to the developing chamber 3600by the transfer robot 3422.

The developing chamber 3600 performs a developing process by dispensinga developing solution onto the substrate W.

The substrate W is extracted from the developing chamber 3600 and placedin the heat treatment chamber 3200 by the transfer robot 3422. The heattreatment chamber 3200 sequentially performs a heating process and acooling process on the substrate W. When the cooling process iscompleted, the substrate W is extracted from the heat treatment chamber3200 and transferred to the front buffer 3802 by the transfer robot3422.

The index robot 2200 extracts the substrate W from the front buffer 3802and transfers the substrate W to the carrier 10.

The treating module 30 of the substrate treating apparatus 1 has beendescribed as performing the coating process and the developing process.However, the substrate treating apparatus 1 may include only the indexmodule 20 and the treating module 30 without the interface module 40. Inthis case, the treating module 30 may perform only the coating process,and a film with which the substrate W is coated may be a spin-onhardmask (SOH) film.

As described above, according to the embodiments of the inventiveconcept, the degree of hydrophobization of a substrate surface may beadjusted by adjusting the position of a substrate.

Furthermore, according to the embodiments of the inventive concept, inadjusting the degree of hydrophobization of a substrate surface, it isnot necessary to adjust the flow rate of a hydrophobic gas.

The above description exemplifies the inventive concept. Furthermore,the above-mentioned contents describe exemplary embodiments of theinventive concept, and the inventive concept may be used in variousother combinations, changes, and environments. That is, variations ormodifications can be made to the inventive concept without departingfrom the scope of the inventive concept that is disclosed in thespecification, the equivalent scope to the written disclosures, and/orthe technical or knowledge range of those skilled in the art. Thewritten embodiments describe the best state for implementing thetechnical spirit of the inventive concept, and various changes requiredin specific applications and purposes of the inventive concept can bemade. Accordingly, the detailed description of the inventive concept isnot intended to restrict the inventive concept in the disclosedembodiment state. In addition, it should be construed that the attachedclaims include other embodiments.

While the inventive concept has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat various changes and modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the inventive concept. Therefore, it shouldbe understood that the above embodiments are not limiting, butillustrative.

1. An apparatus for treating a substrate, the apparatus comprising: achamber having a process space in which the substrate is treated; asubstrate support unit configured to support the substrate in theprocess space; a gas supply unit configured to supply a hydrophobic gasonto the substrate supported on the substrate support unit; and acontroller configured to control the substrate support unit and the gassupply unit, wherein the substrate support unit includes: a supportplate on which the substrate is placed; and a pin assembly configured toraise the substrate off the support plate or lower the substrate ontothe support plate, and wherein the controller controls a degree ofhydrophobization of a surface of the substrate by adjusting the pinassembly.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller moves afirst substrate to a first height such that a surface of the firstsubstrate has a first hydrophobic property and moves a second substrateto a second height such that a surface of the second substrate has asecond hydrophobic property, wherein the first hydrophobic property hasa higher degree of hydrophobization than the second hydrophobicproperty, and wherein the first height is closer to the gas supply unitthan the second height.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the gassupply unit includes a gas supply tube configured to supply thehydrophobic gas into the process space and located over the supportplate, wherein a dispensing end of the gas supply tube is located tooverlap the support plate when viewed from above, and wherein the firstheight is closer to the dispensing end than the second height.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller controls the gas supplyunit such that a flow rate of the hydrophobic gas dispensed from the gassupply tube is constant.
 5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the firstheight is a height at which the first substrate is spaced apart from thesupport plate, and wherein the second height is a height at which thesecond substrate is seated on the support plate.
 6. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the first height is a height at which the firstsubstrate is spaced apart from the support plate, and wherein the secondheight is a height at which the second substrate is spaced apart fromthe support plate.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hydrophobicgas supplied by the gas supply unit includes a hexamethyldisilane (HMDS)gas. 8.-20. (canceled)